Meet the Jury 2026
Dr. B. Meena Kumari
Former Chairperson, National Biodiversity Authority of India; former Deputy Director General (Fisheries), ICAR, with expertise in fisheries, marine biology, aquatic biodiversity and sustainable resource management.
Dr. Anjali Bahuguna
Retired ISRO scientist and MoEFCC Technical Scrutiny Committee member, specialising in coastal ecology and environmental planning.
Shri Pradeep Khanna, IFS (Retd.)
Former Principal Chief Conservator of Forests & Head of Forest Force (PCCF & HoFF), with expertise in sustainable forest administration and management, wildlife conservation, policy and governance.
Shri Bharat J. Pathak, IFS (Retd.)
Former Additional Principal Chief Conservator of Forests and Director, GEER Foundation, Gujarat; expertise in forest management, ecological restoration, biodiversity conservation, wildlife and protected-area management, and ecological research and education.
Shri Girish Sohani
Principal Advisor and Trustee, BAIF Development Research Foundation; expertise in natural resource management, rural livelihoods, sustainable agriculture, community-led development and farmer producer organisations
Shri Ambrish Mehta
Trustee and Full-time Executive, ARCH-Vahini; expertise in tribal development, community mobilisation, forest rights, participatory resource management and livelihood development.
DR. VIJAY KUMAR
Director, GUIDE, Bhuj. Has over 28 years of experience in ecological research, wildlife conservation, wetland and grassland ecology, and desert ecosystem management.
DR. SOMNATH BANDYOPADHYAY
Former Associate Professor at Nalanda University, with expertise in aquatic ecology, wetland conservation, river basin management, biodiversity and sustainable development.
Shri Kedar Gore
Director, The Corbett Foundation; expertise in wildlife conservation, human–wildlife coexistence, ecological restoration, landscape-level biodiversity conservation, community engagement and conservation education.